HTC Merge users on US Cellular, your day has come. Forget about Froyo, aka Android 2.2, and zoom straight to the latest version of Android available for non-Nexus phones - 2.3.4 "Gingerbread" (HTC version 3.10.573.1 to be exact - the image below taken from the update guide is outdated).

The update will need to be applied on a computer using HTC Sync and will wipe your device clean of emails, contacts, calendars, apps, bookmarks, and any other personalization - it'll basically be back to stock.

Remember the HTC Merge? Yeah, the one that HTC officially announced back in February. Well, it looks like it's finally available on Big Red today, but there's an interesting stipulation with this one: you won't actually find it in any Verizon Wireless store. According to an internal VZW document that fell into the hands of Android Central, you'll only be able to get a hold of this little gem at third-party retailers, like Best Buy.

It looks like it's Android season in Alltel country, because four new handsets have just dropped on the regional provider's network. As of right now, Alltel customers can choose between the Motorola Milestone X - most of us know this one as the Droid X, the LG Axis - a low-end phone with a full slide-out QWERTY, the Samsung Gem - a tiny Froyo starter phone, and the HTC Merge - a mid-range Froyo device with a slide-out QWERTY.

SlashGear has confirmed with HTC today that the Desire HD, Desire Z, and Incredible S (along with the standard Desire) will be receiving the bump to Gingerbread some time in the second quarter of this year. But, there's a potential caveat: US phones might not be included.

It remains unknown if HTC was also referring to carrier-branded versions of the aforementioned devices in its statement, and if it was, if those devices would be receiving updates at the same time as their unlocked, HTC-branded siblings.

Well, after some rumors that the HTC Merge might never arrive, it seems the mysterious but often-seen slider device will be coming stateside sooner rather than later. An official HTC press release for the company's first Android CDMA world-phone popped up only minutes ago:

The HTC Merge™ Smartphone Brings Android™ and HTC Sense™ to HTC's First CDMA Android World Phone

BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- HTC Corp., a global designer of smartphones, today announced that the new HTC Merge smartphone will be made available through multiple North American carriers beginning in spring 2011.

An Android Central forums member managed to find the 360° view Flash file for the HTC Merge, and Phil @ AC was smart enough to grab a video of it in action before it was pulled. It's nice to finally be able to see how this guy looks all the way around - a screen and keyboard shot only gets you so far, after all.

When it comes to Verizon engineers and Twitter, there really aren't any secrets - some employees kind of just let it all out. Such is the case with Jeremiah Nelson (@V3RDICT), who today tweeted out not one, but six items of interest to future LTE customers.

To recap, according to Jeremiah, HTC Merge will not get released this month due to a late decision to equip it with an LTE chip (that's Verizon's version of 4G).